BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Government of Trinidad and Tobago and the Organization of American States (OAS), along with the Organization of Private Sector of the Americas have informed that the date is set for the II Hemispheric Private Sector Forum under the theme “Promoting Private Sector-Led Prosperity in the Emerging Decade: The Quest for Competitiveness”.
The Forum, to be held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from April 15 to 16, takes place immediately before the occasion of the V Summit of the Americas, which will gather the Heads of State of 34 governments of the Western Hemisphere.
The Forum has been organized to provide the business community of the region with an opportunity to exchange ideas and communicate views on the prospects for business growth and human prosperity in the Americas in the coming decade.
OAS Representative to St. Kitts-Nevis Starrett Greene said, “The main purpose of this particular forum from OAS standpoint is to promote private sector partnerships not only at the national but also at the regional level. We believe the private sector has an indispensable role to play in the economic and social development of our Member Countries and we therefore believe it is important to harness the potential energies and resources of the private sector so they can be channelled into that development.
“Even more important, the OAS attempts to bring the private sectors of the entire western hemisphere together to organize them into a common unit. We do believe with all this power the private sector has in this hemisphere, harnessing the resources under one umbrella would make its objectives better realized.
“This is extremely important especially in the current economic and financial downturn. It is essential the private sector in the hemisphere be brought under one roof, in one forum, not to only discuss how they are affected by the international crisis but also to look at how they can collectively respond.”
Greene informed that the forum would be facilitated in part by the Caribbean Association of Industries and Commerce (CAIC) which covers most of the private sector within the Eastern Caribbean. He underscored the importance of unity within the region’s private sector particularly during troubling economic times, adding that regional governments should encourage the further development of their private sectors by giving incentives and concession.
The first Hemispheric Private Sector Forum was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2005 and brought together over 600 business leaders, government officials and representatives from various financial institutions.
The Forum focused on delivering the benefits of democracy through job creation and stressed the importance of the role of the private sector in achieving this objective.
